DRINKING WATER

GettyImages-2168753167_450_300 This Is The Water Meter Empowering Utilities To Build Resilient Water Networks

Advanced residential meters now deliver real-time insight and remote flow control, helping utilities respond faster to leaks, weather events, and operational challenges while strengthening long-term network resilience.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Magnetic Precision: Flow Measurement Without Moving Parts

    Electromagnetic flow meters offer accurate, low-maintenance flow measurement for conductive liquids—delivering long service life, low power usage, and seamless system integration without moving parts or flow obstructions.

  • What You Need To Know About Mixed Oxidant Solution

    The main component of mixed oxidant solution (MOS) is chlorine and its derivatives hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid (ClO−, HClO). It also contains trace amounts of other chlor-oxygen species which work synergistically with the hypochlorite/hypochlorous acid to improve efficacy and performance. MOS is made from brine (salt) and energy, and is used for disinfecting, sanitizing and reducing the risk of infection due to pathogenic microorganisms in water and in other applications. It is particularly useful for customers who have specific challenges such as controlling biofilm or reducing disinfection byproducts exacerbated by biofilms.

  • Maximizing Your ROI On Test Equipment

    In today’s economic climate, it’s tempting to want to buy the cheapest test equipment you can now. But, how can you tell what the true cost of test equipment is? You have to consider how widely your water and chemical consumption will vary as the readings on your instrumentation does. By Heather Rekalske, Myron L Company

  • Iron, Manganese, And Arsenic Pilot Study In The Golden State (Loprest)

    This report summarizes results and conclusions of a groundwater treatment pilot test program. This pilot test program was undertaken to demonstrate the effectiveness of water treatment products that employ oxidation and filtration to remove iron, manganese and arsenic to levels well below MCL’s. Operating data collected during the study will be used to confirm the design of fullscale facilities.

  • How To Cost-Effectively Increase Pumping Station Capacity

    Early detection of leaks can preserve pumping station capacity. Full-profile insertion (FPI) mag meters can be installed near valves and bends, making them ideal for pumping stations.

  • Unseen Connections: How Non-Revenue-Water Is Linked To The Hidden Hazard Of Sinkholes

    This article explores how NRW can contribute to the formation of sinkholes, and why addressing non-revenue water is vital for preventing these potentially dangerous occurrences.

  • Combating Cyber Threats: How To Secure Water Utility Systems

    As technology gets more sophisticated, so have hackers and cyberattacks. How can utilities protect themselves and their customers?

  • EPA Researchers Analyze 30 Years Of Data To Understand How Warming Temperatures Will Affect Harmful Algal Blooms In Reservoirs

    Harmful algal blooms in lakes can produce odorous, scum-covered, or discolored water, and negatively impact human health and the environment. These blooms are frequently formed by cyanobacteria, which are often found floating in lakes as a type of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that use sunlight to make their own food and are important food sources for other organisms. Many species of cyanobacteria thrive in warm, nutrient-rich environments and some can produce toxins that cause health problems for humans, pets, and wildlife. Climate change and ongoing nutrient pollution may cause more frequent and intense cyanobacterial blooms in the future.

  • Turbidity, What It Is And How It's Successfully Mitigated

    This article will clarify the essential aspects of turbidity, how it can affect human health, and how best to measure and mitigate it.

  • AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Delivers For City Of Phoenix Drought Pipeline Project

    Phoenix’s Drought Pipeline Project, supported by AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe, secures clean water for North Phoenix, delivering up to 75 million gallons daily and earning top industry awards.

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

  • Determination Of Pesticide Residues In Tea
    4/10/2015

    In 2012, Americans consumed well over 79 billion servings of tea, which is just over 3.60 billion gallons.

  • Immediate pH Correction For Fluctuating Flow
    2/19/2014

    In a number of water, wastewater and industrial process applications, pH is one of the most critical and highly sensitive analytical measurements.  Examples of critical pH applications include: Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems in which a controlled feed of caustic solution is typically added to the feed stream in order to convert a portion of dissolved carbon dioxide into bicarbonate precipitate allowing for removal by the RO membrane. By Rafik H. Bishara, Steve Jacobs, and Dan Bell

  • A Comparative Study Of On-Line And Laboratory TOC Analyzers For Analysis Of Raw And Finished Drinking Water
    4/5/2013

    Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis is an important indicator of water quality throughout the drinking water treatment process. Raw source water is progressively treated in chemical coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration steps to remove particulate matter and natural organic matter (NOM).

  • Hemodialysis Patient Health
    10/29/2021

    Controlling dialysate quality is critically important to hemodialysis patient health. Complications as minor as nausea and fatigue or as severe as metabolic acidosis and sepsis can result if dialysate composition is incorrect. All the factors that ultimately affect dialysate composition must therefore be carefully monitored and controlled: proper proportioning and mixing of concentrates with water; the quality of water mixed with concentrates to form dialysate; and the quality of water used in the reprocessing of hemodialyzers, system maintenance and disinfection.

  • Application Note: Desalination Plants: YSI Instruments Monitor Flow & Water Quality At Multiple Stages
    2/3/2011
    Desalination is the process of removing salt from sea water or brackish river or groundwater to make potable water. By YSI
  • Water Treatment In Boilers And Cooling Towers
    10/29/2021

     Most people recognize problems associated with corrosion. Effects from scale deposits, however, are equally important. For example, as little as 1/8" of scale can reduce the efficiency of a boiler by 18% or a cooling tower heat exchanger by 40%!

  • HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV Water Treatment For Bottled Water
    3/27/2025

    The HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV water treatment system by Atlantium Technologies represents a groundbreaking advancement in drinking water disinfection, particularly for the bottled water industry.

  • The Role Of Zeta Potential In Water Treatment Process Control
    5/27/2020

    Physical processes such as sedimentation, flotation and filtration remain at the heart of most process trains for the treatment of water and wastewater flows.

  • Advances In Paper-Based Devices For Water Quality Analysis
    2/22/2017

    Water quality test strips have been around for decades. They are usually constructed from a porous media, including different types of paper, and undergo a color change when dipped into water containing the analyte of interest. These test strips have seen application in swimming pools, aquariums, hot tubs, remediation sites, and other commercial/environmental areas.

  • Best Practices In Moist And Wet Gas Flow
    12/20/2021

    The Wet Gas MASSter sensor is for use in applications that have a high level of moisture or condensation present in the gas flow stream that cannot otherwise be removed.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

Environmental protection, consistent product quality, process optimization and safety –​ just a few reasons why liquid analysis is becoming increasingly essential. Liquids such as water, beverages, dairy products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals have to be analyzed day in and day out. We support you in fulfilling all these measuring tasks with application know-how and cutting-edge technologies. Discover our comprehensive portfolio and choose the product best suited to your process needs.

This instrument is designed to be extremely accurate, fast, and simple to use in diverse water quality applications.

Octave brings the latest in ultrasonic metering technology to Commercial/Industrial (C&I) water meters and puts precise measurement where the real flows exist.

There are over 4,500 compounds currently classified as PFAS compounds. BioLargo's PFAS treatment is customized to the water to reduce energy, breakthrough, waste products, and operation and maintenance costs.

The presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients, radio-opaque substances and endocrine disrupting chemicals in raw water sources is a relatively new emerging issue in relation to drinking water quality. However, the influence of pollutants on health and general well-being is becoming apparent with the incidence of carcinoma increasing and fertility rates being affected. A solution for the efficient removal of these substances from water use by production sites is required.

Annual filter inspections are a key component to long term, trouble free filter operation. Loprest’s trained service engineers can inspect your treatment system and provide written recommendations for maintenance, improvements and upgrades to keep your filter system operating at its peak performance.

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

  • People around the globe are trying to figure out how to save, conserve, and reuse water in a variety of ways, including reusing treated sewage wastewater and removing valuable salts from seawater. But for all the clean water they may produce, those processes leave behind a type of liquid called brine. I’m working on getting the water out of that potential source, too.
  • Restoring eelgrass beds is critical because they provide habitat for many kinds of marine life, improve water quality by filtering out pollution, and the plant’s root system stabilizes the sediment on the seafloor, protecting shorelines from erosion.

  • No matter where you live in the U.S., you have likely seen headlines about PFAS being detected in everything from drinking water to fish to milk to human bodies. Now, PFAS are posing a threat to the Great Lakes, one of America’s most vital water resources.
  • When people think about agricultural pollution, they often picture what is easy to see: fertilizer spreaders crossing fields or muddy runoff after a heavy storm. However, a much more significant threat is quietly and invisibly building in the ground.
  • As water systems become more circular and complex, understanding and managing the subsurface — the hidden half of the water cycle — is becoming a critical enabler of resilience. This article explores the key trends shaping this new reality, from tackling “forever chemicals” to the water strategies redefining heavy industry.
  • The White House has finalized plans to roll back rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), narrowing its focus and limiting what the current administration claims are needless delays for federal approval of water, energy, and other infrastructure plans. For water and wastewater utilities, the changes could speed up permitting for critical projects, although experts warn the tradeoffs could do more harm than good.

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

The Western Governors' Drought Forum webinar “Once Marginal, Now Crucial: The Growing Demand for Re-used, Produced, and Brackish Water” explores the technological and regulatory obstacles to utilizing re-used, produced, and brackish water.

Aqua wants you to know the 411 on lead exposure

Stanford Earth’s Rosemary Knight recently spearheaded a project to map underground freshwater resources and forecast the intrusion of saltwater into aquifers beneath the California coastal town of Marina.

Lead poisoning water service lines are turning up around the globe at an alarming rate leaving millions angry. ePIPE's innovative technology creates a new pipe barrier inside the service lines eliminating water contact with the lead service lines.

Water infrastructure projects often face extreme installation conditions, from deep-trench burials to exposed bridge crossings. Ensuring long-term reliability requires a material capable of withstanding environmental stressors that can compromise other piping options. Ductile iron pipe offers superior durability, maintaining its structural integrity regardless of temperature fluctuations or UV exposure. Watch the full video to explore these benefits in action.

ABOUT DRINKING WATER

In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:

  1. Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
  2. Drinking water treatment of source water
  3. Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers

Drinking Water Sources

Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater. 

Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.

Drinking Water Treatment

Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.

There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.

The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.

The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.

During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.

Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.

Drinking Water Distribution

Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.

A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.

Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.